Patras, the capital of Achaia Patras is an important Greek port and capital of the  Achaia and western Greece. Patras is the third town of Greece after Athens and Thessaloniki and, since 1966, also site of one of the most important universities of Greece. Being a seaport it became one of the first twelve towns of the Achaeian Alliance. The harbour of Patras has a special importance for Greece being the gate to Europe. Most of the car ferries coming from Italy dock at Patras. Its Araxos Airport, about 40 km southwest from Patras, is frequented by various charter flights from May to October. Patras was the cosmopolitan centre during the Roman era. The Odeum, built in 160 AD dates back to that time. Today, an international festival as well as plays and concerts take place annually. The most important event is the carnival that has been held for 160 years. The carnival of Patras is one of the most famous carnivals of all Europe. During the propagation of Christianity the Apostle Andreas lived and taught in Patras, where he was crucified in 68 AD  The Apostle Andreas is the town patron and the Cathedral of Andreas had been built in his honour. Another place of interest is the Achaia Clauss winery located 8 km out of Patras. It was founded in 1861 by the German Gustav Clauss. Here you can taste the famous Mavrodaphne dessert wine. Rio-Antirion bridge (Charilaos Trikoupis) On the 12th of August 2003 a Greek dream came true: a suspension bridge of 2800 m spanning the Gulf of Corinth between the villages Rio and Antirioh at its narrowest spot. The traffic at this point used to bottleneck. A big fleet of ferryboats used to lead the cars over to the other shore. Though the crossing took only 20 minutes, loading and unloading often caused delays. In addition the ferries could not be steered at wind force 8, and the Patras region often has strong winds. Though one has to pay toll of about 10 Euros per car (2005) the price makes up for the time saved. The bridge is interesting also for passengers of the ferryboat connecting Egio and Aghios Nikolaos, as the boats leave only 3 or 4 times a day and are often booked out during the summer.